Formula 1 2017: Hamilton’s to lose

Ahead of the F1 curtain raiser in Melbourne, we take a look at where the value lies for the 2017 season.

A dominant Mercedes display last year led to a two-horse race for the driver’s Championship. The F1 elite will be hoping for a more open championship this time around, but with Hamilton’s Championship-winning rival Rosberg retiring, the fear is that it could even become a one-horse race.

In Australian practice, Hamilton was over half a second faster than next fastest Sebastian Vettel and new team mate Valtteri Bottas. After that ominous early marker from Hamilton, there looks like there’s some life in the 3/4 price on him winning the Championship. If he continues this (albeit very early) form and takes the first couple of races, then his outright price will plummet shorter still to unbackable levels, and possibly remain for the rest of the season.

Season-long odds-on bets aren’t much fun anyway, so if you anticipate Hamilton really running riot this year, then you’ll get more bang for your buck in Mr Green’s special market of: Winning over 10.5 races at 13/10. The last time he won the Championship, back in 2015, he notched 10 Grand Prix wins, so with a couple more years’ experience and a better car, one more win is very conceivable.

The outright prices could drastically change after the opening race, and we’ll know a lot more as to whether the Ferrari has improved as much as has been reported. It would be a shock, but if they do have the pace to match Mercedes then Sebastien Vettel certainly has the talent to make the most of it, at 7/2 to win the Championship, the resilient German is sure to give you some value for your money.

We’ll be following the action all the way from Melbourne through to Abu Dhabi in November, keep an eye on Mr Green’s Formula 1 odds throughout the season.